Comments on: Guest Column: Rockford schools: Civic discourse vs. civil disobedience

By: Mary C.

Mary C. — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:35:09 +0000

Very well said Jane and Laura! Why don’t they ask the districts that didn’t renew their contracts with Os. after their first contract expired what they felt were the pros and cons of the program? Please do your homework before you foolishly spend my tax dollars on worthless items again!! I am wondering (with the history of foolish spending of the past 5 years) why they even hire educated professionals to teach in the district without polling them for ideas that would work to improve student’s educations. I am sure that the teacher’s that teach these students would have a better understanding of what is needed to help the students successes if they were given a chance to express it. They could even save money! Yet, with the way that the school board and district officials create an environment of distrust between the teachers and upper management, so you may not get too many really suggestions. But, if you could create a truly cohesive environment in the district perhaps it could really have an opportunity to blossom. We could truly use the resources that we already are paying to create real improvements (even cost effective).

By: VeryModest

VeryModest — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:13:19 +0000

I applaud the efforts of Jane and the WEE group in trying to force the district to be open and honest in their dealings with the public. The problem I see in all of this that it was a done deal before it was ever even brought out to the public. When will the people of Rockford realize that any time the powers to be say that they are “looking into” a new program that the program is already in place and that they are only going to go through the motions of letting the public think they have some kind of say. This has happened over and over again in the Rockford School District. Then when for some unknown reason the program doesn’t pan out, the district turns it around and blames the teachers for not buying into it. Nothing has changed in this district, it’s business as usual.

By: Laura Powers

Laura Powers — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:05:18 +0000

As a Board member and a member of the Education Committee, I am going on record as having voted against the proposal as presented by the Administration. I am in support of the plan for the Elementary Schools which include more Social Workers and interventions early on. I could be persuaded to TEST Ombudsman at a single Middle School location (Lincoln, West is already taking on CAPA for next year) to understand student and parent response and impact to academic achievement. I will NOT support any changes at the High Schools.
Administration clearly is counting on the approval of Ombudsman as evidenced by the textbook information Jane provided and, at the time of this writing, workers are laying the cables to support the computers at Lincoln.
I was elected to do a job that I take very seriously, to ensure EVERY student has equal access to a quality education in District 205 while maintaining fiscal responsibility to our taxpayers. This proposal as presented is incomplete; I do not know that it meets neither the equity requirement nor the fiscal responsibility requirement.
Further, even if the proposal is approved, I have NO confidence in District 205’s ability to properly execute and implement across the District. Need proof? The move last summer from Kennedy to Kennedy was chaos; students and teachers did not have materials required until well into the school year. (A computer class had no computers until October) This move was just that, a simple move of students, employees and equipment. The Ombudsman proposal includes moving equipment, implementing new programs, working with people new to District 205 and relocating students from current buildings to new buildings. Keep in mind that we will also be moving Gifted, CAPA and Montessori at the same time. I am not convinced.